Residential Plumbing for Every Room of Your Home
Residential plumbing covers every pipe, drain, and fixture that keeps a house running, from the kitchen sink to the sewer line under the yard. Armor Plumbing & Hydro Jetting is a family-run crew out of Oxnard. You get an upfront price before any work starts, and we clean up before we leave.
One crew for the whole house
Most home plumbing calls start with one problem: a drain that will not clear, a toilet that keeps running, a water heater that quit. The real job is finding why it happened. A clogged tub might be hair in the trap, or it might be the first sign of roots in the main line. We look for the cause so you are not calling again next month.
This page is part of our plumbing services. It covers the everyday repair and replacement work homes need. When water is actively spreading or sewage is coming up, that is emergency plumbing, and we treat it that way on the phone.
What goes wrong, and where
Each room has its own usual suspects. Pick a room to see what tends to fail there and when it is time to call.
Kitchen
Kitchen sinks take more grease, coffee grounds, and food scraps than any other drain in the house. Grease goes down warm, cools inside the pipe, and builds a layer that catches everything after it. Under the sink, the supply lines and shutoff valves wear out quietly and start to drip into the cabinet.
What usually failsBathroom
Bathrooms see the most fixtures in the smallest space. Hair and soap slow down tub and shower drains. Toilets run because a flapper or fill valve has worn out, and a failed wax ring can leak under the floor for months before the subfloor goes soft.
What usually failsLaundry
A washing machine dumps a lot of water fast. If the standpipe or trap is partly clogged with lint, it overflows behind the machine where nobody sees it. Rubber washer hoses get brittle with age, and the shutoff valves behind the machine often seize from years of sitting untouched.
What usually failsWater heater closet
Most hot water problems start in the tank. Minerals in the water settle on the bottom as sediment, the burner or element works harder, and the tank starts to rumble. The relief valve on the side is a safety part. If it drips, it is telling you something about pressure or temperature.
What usually failsYard and main line
Everything in the house drains into one sewer line that runs under the yard to the street. In older homes that line is often clay or cast iron, and tree roots find their way in at the joints. Your main water line runs through the yard too, and a leak there can hide under grass or concrete.
What usually failsWhen your house is telling you something
Small plumbing problems give warnings. Catching them early is almost always the cheaper repair.
More than one slow drain
One slow drain is usually a local clog. Two or three at once point to the main line.
A water bill that jumps
If your use has not changed and the bill went up, water is likely going somewhere you cannot see. That calls for leak detection.
Stains, soft drywall, or a musty smell
Slow leaks inside walls and ceilings show up as stains, bubbling paint, or a damp smell long before you see water.
Rumbling or rusty hot water
Sediment in the tank or rust inside it. Both mean the water heater needs attention before it leaks.
Gurgling toilets or a sewer smell
Air pushed back through a toilet or a sewer smell indoors can mean a blocked vent or a failing drain line.
Weak pressure at several faucets
If it is one faucet, the aerator may be clogged. If it is the whole house, the cause is upstream.
Price first, then the work
You will know what is wrong, what it costs, and what we did before we leave. Here is what to expect on the day.
Manny and his crew did excellent grade A work on the complete remodel of my home, including new sewer and water lines. Trustworthy, thorough, great guy. Highly recommend.
Why two similar jobs can cost differently
We do not quote over the phone without seeing the problem, because these things change the work. You still get the price before any work starts.
Where the problem is
A leak under an open sink is quick to reach. The same leak behind tile or under a slab takes more time to get to.
Pipe material and age
Old galvanized steel or cast iron can crumble when you work on it, so a small repair sometimes grows into replacing a section.
Access to the pipe
Crawlspace, slab, finished ceiling, or concrete over the line all change how much opening and patching the job needs.
Parts and fixtures you choose
A standard faucet or water heater costs less than a premium model. We tell you the options before you pick.
Finding the cause
If a drain keeps clogging, a camera run adds a step but can save you from paying for the same clearing twice.
Permits
Some work, like replacing a water heater or repiping, usually needs a permit from the city or county, and that is part of the job.
What the coast and the water do to home plumbing
Plumbing wears differently here than in other parts of the country. These three conditions shape a lot of the home repairs we make between Thousand Oaks and Santa Barbara.
Salt air near the coast
Homes close to the beach see faster corrosion on exposed fittings, hose bibs, and the outdoor parts of water heaters. Copper and brass turn green, and the threads under them wear thin.
What helpsCheck outdoor valves and fittings once a year.Hard water inland
Inland homes in much of Ventura County get hard water. The minerals coat the inside of faucets, shower heads, toilet fill valves, and water heater tanks, which cuts flow and shortens the life of parts.
What helpsFlush the water heater yearly and clean aerators.Older pipes in older homes
Many older neighborhoods still have clay or cast iron sewer laterals and galvanized steel water lines. Clay joints let roots in, cast iron scales and cracks, and galvanized pipe rusts from the inside.
What helpsHave the main line looked at before it backs up.Residential plumbing questions
Straight answers to what homeowners ask us most. If yours is not here, call and ask.
Anything that is causing water damage right now or putting sewage where people live. A burst pipe, sewage coming up into a tub or shower, or no water to the whole house all count. A slow drip under the sink can wait for a scheduled visit. If water is spreading, close the main shutoff first, then call.
Yes. Our residential plumbing work runs from a running toilet or a dripping faucet up to a new sewer line or a whole-house repipe. It is the same crew either way, so you have one number to call for whatever the house needs.
We look at the problem first, then give you an upfront price before any work starts. If we open something up and find a second problem, we stop and tell you before doing more. You decide, and nothing gets added without your OK.
Hard water is common across much of Ventura County, and the minerals settle at the bottom of the tank as sediment. That layer makes the tank rumble and takes up room that should hold hot water. Flushing the tank once a year is a simple piece of residential plumbing maintenance that helps the heater last.
Tell us which room and what you see
Call and a real person answers. Describe what is going on and we will tell you what it likely needs and when we can be there. Prefer to send details first? Use the form and we will call you back.